An online store for allergy-friendly products has started a crowdsourcing campaign to fund the manufacturing of clothing especially made for eczema sufferers.

Image credit: SXC user darylss

According to the Eczema Association of Australasia, eczema is a recurring, non-infectious, inflammatory skin condition that affects one in three Australians at some stage in their lifetime. Eczema can affect people of all ages but the condition usually manifests itself in early childhood and disappears around six years of age. However adult onset eczema is often difficult to treat and may be caused by other factors such as medication.

Patients suffering from severe skin allergies and conditions such as eczema and psoriasis need special clothing that will lessen irritation that leads to scratching, bleeding and infection. Researchers have found that bamboo fiber has the properties recommended for this type of clothing.

“As a mother with a child who suffers anaphylaxis & eczema I became frustrated in not being able to source appropriate products for my daughter,” Stephanie said.

“Through a genuine desire to help people living with eczema, asthma & allergies I started Allerchic, The online Eczema, Asthma & Allergy Store & Community & found there was a desperate need for eczema clothing made for the Australian/Asian Climate.”

According to the information shared by Stephanie, bamboo has a natural capability to regulate temperature. People with eczema are easily affected by extreme heat and extreme cold, causing their rashes to flare. Bamboo’s natural ability to stabilize temperature could greatly help in this regard.

Bamboo also has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial qualities which are important as infection is a huge problem for people with this skin condition. Clothing made from bamboo is also tough enough to withstand hot washing needed to remove the heavy creams and emollients that eczema and psoriasis sufferers use.

Stephanie says all the eczema clothing currently available in the country are imported from the UK and Europe, often made from heavy fabrics that are not suitable for the Australia’s hot climate. It is also impossible to find clothing for adults she said.

The great thing about bamboo is that it is widely grown and available in Australia, making it a sustainable source of material and allowing the project to be developed with a long-term strategy.

Stephanie has presented a breakdown of where the crowdsourced money would go to: 63% will be allocated for the actual manufacturing of clothing in Australia, 13% will go to lab testing of samples, 12% for professional design and creation of templates, 7% for promotion through the Eczema Association and 5% for packaging and marketing materials.

Stephanie is currently in talks with a small, family-run, manufacturing business in Queensland to produce the clothing, including supplying the fabric and materials.